9 books to read with your kids this Halloween

By Judy Belanger

Contributor

9/28/09 1:53 PM

Slideshow

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin

by Tad Hills Schwartz & Wade, $6.99; ages 2-5

Duck and Goose are looking for a pumpkin, but aren't sure just
where to find one. They try the pond, in a log, up an apple tree
and under a pile of leaves. The turning pages will help little ones
understand fall. Along comes Thistle, another duck, who suggests
they might want to try going to the pumpkin patch.

Here Comes Halloween!

by Caroline Jayne Church, Scholastic, $7.99; ages 2-5.

The concept of "What do you want to be for Halloween?" can be a
difficult one for little children to understand. In this easy board
book, several suggestions are given as the little boy tries to
decide. The pages include items to touch, such as the material in
the pirate flag and the bumps on the dinosaur costume.

Whooo's That? A lift-the-flap pumpkin fun book

As each jack-o'-lantern flap is lifted, we find characters
associated with Halloween. Skeletons, bones and ghosts are all
dancing on the pages until finally one finds a stream of children
in their costumes on their way to trick-or-treat.

13 Ghosts of Halloween

Ten children, two dogs and one cat are ready for the Halloween
fun house. On each stroke of midnight as they journey through the
house they find creatures awaiting them. They declare that nothing
frightens them. With each stroke of midnight the number of
creatures increases. One vulture isn't too bad or even two shrunken
heads. The children all seem to be having a good time. By the time
they get to 11 goblins and 12 vampires, the children may be
changing their minds just a little. Imagine what a scare ghosts
will bring. Are you ready for the haunted house? Not me.

Hooray for Fall!

by Kazuo Iwamura, NorthSouth, $16.95; ages 3-7.

With summer off the calendar, little squirrels Mick, Mack and
Molly go with Papa to collect nuts. When they return, mom is
knitting. When she is finished, she presents each little squirrel
with a new red sweater. They take a walk in their new sweaters and
notice how everything around them is changing colors and how the
animals they meet prepare for the upcoming winter.

And Then Comes Halloween

When neighbors rake leaves, it is time to carve a pumpkin. When
decorations start appearing on front lawns, it is time to prepare a
costume. When the last day of October arrives, it is time to grab a
bag and knock on doors and say "Trick or treat!" Children will
enjoy following the story as they get ready for the fun of
Halloween.

There Was an Old Monster

by Rebecca, Adrian & Ed Emberley, Orchard, $16.99; ages
4-8.

After the monster swallowed a tick, he felt sick. Maybe he
should swallow some ants to eat that tick, but the ants have the
monster dancing in his pants. Discover what else that old monster
swallows. For added fun, go to the sing-along version available at
www.scholastic.com/oldmonster.

Miss Smith and the Haunted Library

by Michael Garland, Dutton, $16.99; ages 5-8.

A class visits the public library with their teacher, Miss
Smith. Virginia Creeper, the librarian, starts reading and the
Headless Horseman appears, followed by the Hunchback, Frankenstein
and Count Dracula. As more of the stories are read, more characters
appear. Because everyone is having such a good time, Ms. Creeper
forgets about the seniors for the book club until they are spotted
coming down the walk. Ms. Creeper detains them at the door while
Miss Smith tidies up the library. Zack is asked to read the last
page of each story in the Incredible Storybook so all the
characters can get back where they belong.

The Monsterologist: A memoir in rhyme,

All the favorite characters for Halloween costumes make up the
list for these poems. The book is arranged like a scrapbook with a
few pages arranged in a double spread. Have you ever wondered why
you have odd socks? Even the Monsterologist can't figure that one
out. The Compu-Monster is the cause when a computer will crash
because he eats up the system byte by byte. The witch likes to sing
about her favorite things like lizards, gizzards, head lice and bat
wings. You too can sing the lyrics. Then there is the verbibore who
eats all the verbs out of books in the library. Have fun reading
these poems about your favorite monsters.